Israeli Woman Fined $140 Per Day For Refusing To Circumcise Son

Pictured above: A Plastibell device which can be used to circumcise young boys. Photo by David Levene

An Israeli woman who refused to "physically harm her son" by having the now one year old circumcised has been sentenced by a religious court to pay a fine of $140 per day until the procedure is performed.

According to a report by Haaretz, the child's mother Elinor stated:

"The baby was born with a medical problem, so we couldn’t circumcise him on the eighth day as is customary. As time went on, I started reading about what actually happens in circumcision, and I realized that I couldn’t do that to my son. He’s perfect just as he is.”

We wish the story was as simple as a mother sticking up for her kid, but unfortunately, things get a little tricky (and messy)...

According, to Elinor, her husband originally supported the decision to not circumcise their son, but as they began discussing their divorce in rabbinical court (part of Jerusalem's justice system that oversees matters of religion, including marriage and divorce), he changed his mind. However, Jerusalem court judges believe that Elinor could be using the infant (and his boy parts) as a pawn in making headway in the divorce proceedings.

By Jewish Law, if one parent wants their son to be circumcised, the other parent can't prevent it from taking place unless it's medically dangerous for the child.

This case is the first time a religious court has slapped a fine on a parent for refusing the procedure that is in line with Jewish Law.

Elinor, whose fine is now up to $700, plans to appeal the case to High Court of Justice in an effort to annul the rabbinical court's decision.

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Let's hope they can reach a resolution soon! This is one procedure that most men would prefer to not have memory of.

Tell us Instincter's, which side of the knife are you on in this debate?

This is a blood sacrifice to YHWH, the god of the jews. BTW, was Moses even cut? This mom is a saint in the making and not the only jewish parent against this genital mutilation of boys who have no say in the matter.

It's his body, so he should be the one to decide if he wants irreversible genital surgery or not. His private parts are exactly that - they don't belong to his parents or to the rabbinical court. His body, his decision.

This is an issue of a person's right to privacy. Parents as the legal guardians of the child should be given the right not to be forced to have their son circumcised. The state's role as parens patriae only steps in when the parent is obviously not capable of rearing for his child. I believe the mother was exercising what is for the best interest of his child in accordance with international standards and human rights, particularly the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and as well as the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Israel is a party to both treaties and it could be seen as violating both by forcing the parent to have the son circumcised and for fining her.

It's not a matter of circumcision or not circumcision. The matter is about a religious court imposing punishments on citizens for not following religious rules. And that's not just a problem with Israel; in muslim countries it is more widely spread and the punishments are much worse (such as beheading).